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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · trunk · rash · nail · wax · bear · sharp · craft

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rash — a series
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. craft — boats
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. sharp — clever
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com